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Post Info TOPIC: Italian Declaration of War on Germany
James H


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Italian Declaration of War on Germany
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A bit off-topic, but I didn't realise I didn't know this. Funny how one gets into details and sometimes overlooks basics.

I've just been startled to realise that I didn't know that Italy didn't declare war on Germany until 15 months after declaring war on Austria-Hungary. I've read so many times that "Italy entered the War in 1915", or words to that effect, that I never noticed that she didn't include Germany until August 1916. She had even declared war on Bulgaria before that - October 1915.

It seems that Austria asked Germany for help and that Bavarian troops were sent to the Italian Front in 1915, but under instructions to remain on Austrian soil whilst being prepared to repel any Italian invasion. All hope of Italy remaining neutral or honouring the Triple Alliance and siding with the Central Powers had not entirely gone, and Germany hoped that she could honour her defensive treaty obligations to A-H without antagonising Italy. (It has been suggested that Germany made efforts to disguise the presence of these troops)

The question therefore is why Italy delayed for so long and what her ostensible reasons were for choosing that date to move against Germany. I haven't been able to find any explanation. Anyone know?


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CJ


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There was no chance of Italy maintaining her place in the triple alliance after she declared war on Austria-Hungary. The Treaty of London had already been signed. The Italians didn't declare war because there was no theater to open operations against the Germans, but the Germans if declared war on, might have sent troops to the Isonzo. Plus German merchant ships in Italian ports weren't confiscated, and german uboats could continue targeting Italian ships, they simply flew the Austro-Hungarian flag and no one was the wiser. It was simply a win-winfor both Italy and Germany to remain at peace. Im not sure why Italy finally declared war, German troops wouldn't show up on the Italian front untill 1917. Conrad von Hötzendorf's request for German troops to be used in the Trentino Offensive may have fell upon Italian ears and finally set the coals alight.

CJ


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James H


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Thanks, CJ. That is most interesting. It does seem certain that German troops were on the Italian Front in 1915:

http://www.geocities.com/veldes1/krafft.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpenkorps_(German_Empire)

but the advantage to both sides of remaining neutral is fascinating.

It appears that the Treaty of London was secret and didn't become common knowledge until the Russians revealed it in 1917. Germany might not have known about it oficially, yet the declaration by Italy on A-H must have told them something was going on. It's also said that Germany put pressure on A-H to make territorial concessions to Italy, perhaps hoping not to become embroiled on yet another Front.

The strange thing is that the Treaty required Italy to declare war on the Central Powers within a month, but she clearly delayed in Germany's case. As you say, Germany didn't reinforce A-H in any numbers until Oct 1917, so that can't have brought it about. Maybe it was pressure from the Entente; Germany was engaged on the Somme, the French were counter-attacking at Verdun, A-H had been weakened by the Brusilov offensive and would need German support, and Germany was fighting in Romania, so it might have just seemed a good time to remind Italy of her obligation and get her to pile on the pressure.

A bit more:

On 11 May 1916 the following question was asked in the British Parlaiment:

1. Mr. KING asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can give any information as to any negotiations which have taken place with the object of securing from Italy her full adhesion to the policy of the Allies by a declaration of war by Italy against Germany?
 

 The SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir E. Grey) The answer is in the negative.

And this is from a site about WW1 U-Boats in the Adriatic and elsewhere:

SM U 38 caused a messy diplomatic incident, when Kptlt. Valentiner sank two Italian steamers in November 1915 while flying an Austrian flag (because Italy at that time was at war with Austria-Hungary, but not yet with Germany), with the loss of approx. 40 Americans. The incident and the American protest caused the abandoning of the "sinking without warning" policy in the Mediterranean until the declaration of unrestricted U-boat warfare in 1917. A similar "false flag" incident (German U-boats using false flags to attack Italian targets) in March 1916 finally led Italy - amongst other causes - to declare war on Germany in August 1916.
 
It's also claimed that Italy procrastinated because she thought she could handle A-H but was fearful of taking on Germany.



-- Edited by James H at 15:50, 2009-02-13

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